


Like Real People Do

by lucy105blue



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Car Accidents, Character Death, High School AU, M/M, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, No Magic AU, flirty idiots, mentions of drug abuse, teenage drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22179004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucy105blue/pseuds/lucy105blue
Summary: Merlin Emrys, 17, is currently trying to get his life back together. Having transferred to his new school, Camelot Academy, he's just trying to stay under the radar and avoid any trouble. All hopes of that are dashed when Merlin runs into one Arthur Pendragon son of the headmaster. Now with a lot more eyes on him than expected all he can hope is that his past doesn't come back to haunt him.
Relationships: Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

The buzz in the air was nearly palpable as Merlin wandered down the street. He was bundled in a large jacket to stave off the chill in the air and a large grey beanie nearly covering his eyes. Music blasted through the dark night and he could see bright lights coming from a large manor. His fingers twitched and itched to follow the music into the house, knowing that whoever was hosting the party wouldn’t notice another guest but decided against it when three large teenage boys came bursting out of the house laughing with the air of somebody who wasn’t exactly sober. He tugged his hood over his head and adjusted his glasses as he continued his walk down the street, the biting cold of the air was doing a good job of keeping him grounded. Merlin kept his eyes to the ground hoping to avoid any human interaction, tonight. The sound of stumbling feet brought his attention off the pavement, too late and he was slamming into a wall of muscled flesh. He let out an undignified rush of air as he was nearly knocked to the ground.  
“Oi watch where you're going.” A harsh voice said and he looked up to meet a pair of bright blue eyes. He was a teenager that looked about Merlins age with shaggy blonde hair and tanned skin. Merlin could tell the bloke was obviously an athlete from the well defined muscles and the footie jersey he wore. His friends looked similar, well built physiques and jerseys that all matched. Probably the local high school team, he thought noticing the mascot seemed to be a knight.  
“Maybe you shouldn’t be stumbling about the street. You wouldn’t have to worry about bumping into people.” He responded wanting nothing to do with the asshole. Merlin had been beat up enough times in his life to know the look of somebody who was quick with their fists.  
“I haven’t seen you around, I would remember a face like that.” The prat eyed him for a moment, a grin spreading across his face before he responded which wasn’t what Merlin had expected. He had been prepared for a punch not a drunken come on.  
“I’m not sure you’ll be remembering much of anything from tonight mate especially my name.” He snorted side stepping the blonde, in the hopes of continuing his walk.  
“Now don’t be like that, I’m not that drunk. Only wanted to put a name to a pretty face, is that so wrong?” The prats friends laughed, Merlin couldn’t be sure if it was because their friend was doing very badly or just because they were drunk. One of the boys, a long haired brunette holding a beer in one hand and his jersey in the other, stumbled over to the blonde prat, flinging one arm around his shoulder.  
“Why don’t you go back to your party I’m sure your host would be heartbroken to find you missing.” Merlin said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.  
“Unlikely seeing as it’s my house.” Prat said his smile never wavering.  
“Sounds about right, you seem the type.” Merlin said smirking as he noticed something over their shoulders.  
“Oh and what type is that?” Prat asked returning the smirk.  
“The type about to be arrested for public intoxication.” The flashing lights were rushing up the street and the sirens were finally audible as they arrived in front of the house. The two boys rushed into the house to warn the others, Prat turned back to Merlin but he was already disappearing down the street and into the dark night.

The next morning found Merlin getting ready for his first day at his new school. The red blazer emblazoned with a golden dragon crest and red sweater were stifling and the tie he was currently fighting with were something he was not excited about. Finally he simply gave up on the tie and headed down stairs for breakfast. He stopped in the doorway of his bedroom, almost forgetting to grab his glasses, they were a new pair black and horn rimmed. His mother was moving about the kitchen, she immediately gave him a little laugh when she noticed the state of his tie.  
“You look very handsome sweetheart.” She said giving him a soft look as she looked him up and down.  
“I look ridiculous. I forgot how scratchy these things were.” Merlin said picking at his sweater. His mother rolled her eyes and pushed him toward the kitchen table where a plate of food sat waiting for him.  
“Is your phone all charged up. I want updates whenever you have a break. And if you’re feeling too overwhelmed call me and I’ll come get you.” She spoke quickly as he ate.  
“Ma, I’m going to be fine okay. You don’t have to worry.” Her eyes turned sad as she brushed her fingers through his hair trying to make the wild hairs lie flat.  
“It’s my job to worry about you Merlin. Just be careful dear.” She said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Grabbing his backpack he gave her a hug before heading out the door.  
The hallways were bustling with people as he made his way to the front office. He had received his schedule in the mail a few days ago and he held the piece of paper in one hand and the strap of his backpack in the other as he searched for his classroom. After a student or two pointed him in the correct direction he found his classroom for his english class. He entered quietly, the sound of the door closing behind him attracted the attention of the teacher, a pretty woman with long brown hair and piercing eyes. She quickly ushered him in and introduced herself as Mrs. Nimueh as he explained he was a new student and that he was sorry he was late.  
“It’s alright quite a few of them were late this morning as well. I have a feeling I don’t want to know what they were getting up to last night.” She said with an eye roll as Merlin noticed a few of them wearing dark sunglasses or holding coffee cups. All of them looking nearly dead. He recognized hangovers when he saw one. He figures they were all at the party he passed last night. Why anybody would have a party with such heavy drinking on a Sunday night, he couldn’t say, “Anyway you can take a seat beside Gwen.”  
The girl he pointed to gave him a cheery smile and a wave as he made his way to the desk beside hers. He shook the hand she offered him and sat down, pulling out his notebook to take notes. The class passed without incident, the only thing worth noting were the glances Gwen and a handsome boy two rows away from them kept throwing each other. He had long dark hair, tanned skin, and big brown eyes. Merlin wondered if anybody had a right to look as handsome as he did at seventeen. Soon class ended and everybody was rushing off to their next classes.  
“Need some help?” Gwen asked taking pity on his obvious confusion.  
“Please.” He smiled helplessly. She laughed, took his schedule out of his hands and searched for the next name on the list.  
“This says you have Mr. Geoffrey next for history.” She led him out the door and up a flight of stairs, “Be careful not to fall asleep I’ve heard his lectures are legendary for putting people to sleep. Wouldn’t want you getting a detention on your first day here.”  
“You’re a lifesaver, I can’t thank you enough for helping me out.” Merlin said giving her one of his big toothy grins.  
“Of course what kind of person would I be to leave you high and dry.” She stopped for a moment to fiddle with the edge of her plaid skirt, “I saw on your schedule that you and I have lunch at the same time. Would you want to sit with me and some of my friends?”  
“Oh wow yeah that would be great. Thank you.” The sound of the warning bell rung above them, “I’ll see you at lunch then.”  
Merlin was shown to an empty seat by the teacher, an old man with a harsh air about him and eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you went. The seat was in the back of the classroom and behind two boys that he faintly recognized. The one boy about his height with long brown hair and a loud boisterous laugh, that Merlin could hear when the boy had walked in. Beside him was another guy, this one had ruddy curls and seemed exasperated by his much louder friend. Merlin spent a moment trying to figure out who the two were before it hit him. The party, they were The Prats friends who had been standing behind him when he had been speaking to Merlin. He decided against saying anything when Mr. Geoffrey began to speak. Gwen hadn’t been exaggerating, the man had a voice that could put insomniacs to sleep.  
The next class had him twisting nervously at his fingers as lurked outside of the door. He debated whether he should just skip the period, find a cozy nook in the sprawling library and be done. Maybe call his mother and feign being sick.  
“You know you’re supposed to turn the door knob right?” The voice sent tingles up his spine as it was spoken into his ear. He knew that pratish voice. He spun around and found himself inches away from an annoyingly pretty face.  
“The cops let you out for good behavior?” Was all he asked before opening the door and walking into the music room. The sound of footsteps trailing after him told him his luck had probably just run out for sure and that the idiot was probably going to be in this class.  
“No they knew locking up a face like mine would be too much of a punishment for all my adoring school mates.” Merlin threw himself into the first empty chair he saw and The Prat took the opening beside him.  
“What a shame, I was enjoying the thought of a few more days with no interaction from you.” He was doing his best to avoid looking at the instruments around the room, it was making his fingers itch. Why his mom talked him into this class he would never know, she should be encouraging him to never step foot in this room. Merlin realized he hadn’t been paying attention to whatever response the blonde idiot had given him because said blonde idiot began to wave a hand in front of his face, jarring him from reverie, “What.”  
“You good mate? You seemed to space out there for a second.” The Prats voice was laced with concerned. Which was a little disconcerting he hadn’t expected that from the other boy.  
“Yeah fine. Didn’t get much sleep last night.” The teacher, a blonde haired woman with dark eyes lined with even darker makeup, glided into the room sending a few wayward students scrambling into their seats with a cool look.  
“You can call me Morgause, which I say only for the new student we have joining us today.” She said nodding in Merlins direction.  
“You know you never actually told me your name.” Prat whispered in his ear as Morgause began speaking about measures and time signatures. He did his best to pretend that there was no goosebumps rising up on his arms.  
“Really? Wasn’t aware.” Merlin whispered back never looking away from the teacher.  
“You do realize it wouldn’t be that hard to figure it out, right?”  
“I’m just testing your intelligence. If it was so easy to figure out wouldn’t you have done it by now?” Merlin smirked as The Prat huffed a laugh.  
“Are you calling me stupid?”  
“Haven’t I said that already?”  
“You’re lucky you're pretty.” Merlin fought the urge to laugh at that one. He thinks The Prat knows though by the way the satisfied smile spreads across his face.  
“It’s not like you’ve told me your name either.”  
“Oh are you-”  
“Mr. Pendragon would you be so kind as to finish your conversation elsewhere?” Morgause said from the head of the classroom.  
Merlin froze when he heard the last name, it was practically engraved onto his sweater. Uther Pendragon hadn’t gone that far but he wasn’t that far off. And the boy sitting next to him was Arthur Pendragon. When researching schools, Camelot had been one of the best ones he had found and of course Uther as Headmaster had basically told his life story front and center on the school webpage. Including of course the accolades of both his daughter and son. Of course The Prat was a Pendragon, it should have been obvious by the entitlement and golden boy aura that surrounded him. Merlin also hadn’t missed the way most students seemed to look at Arthur as if he was God's gift to mankind. His eyes wandered over to Arthur to find the boy looking right back at him. He rolled his eyes and watched as the golden boy let out a little sigh after. The rest of class was uninterrupted and soon the bell rang sending kids scattering off to their next class.  
“So are you gonna tell me your name?” Prat asked as the two exited the classroom.  
“Will it stop you from being so obnoxious, Arthur Pendragon?” Merlin asked putting an annoying posh accent on the name. The blonde chuckled softly at the banter.  
“Me, obnoxious. Never.” Arthur said holding a hand to his chest in mocking hurt.  
“Merlin.” He said after a moment as the two walked down the hallway. Arthur stopped in front of him making the other boy come to halt. He stuck his hand out to Merlin to shake, a grin plastered across his face.  
“Well it’s very nice to meet you Mer-lin.” Arthur said. He eyed the outstretched hand before taking it and giving it a shake.  
“I’d say likewise but that would be a lie.” Merlin said after a moment with a sly smile, Arthur laughed. The sound of the warning bell pulled the two from their conversation.  
“I’ll see you later.” Arthur said giving Merlin a wink before turning to head down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

“What do you know about Arthur Pendragon?” Merlin asked as he sat down in the open seat beside Gwen.  
He spotted her almost instantly in his next class, sitting in the back row beside another girl. She sputtered for a moment as the dark haired girl sitting beside her arched one perfectly shaped eyebrow. 

“Who’s asking?” The girl asked a smile playing on her dark red lips. 

“Merlin and you are?” He introduced simply shaking the hand she offered him.

“Morgana Pendragon sister to one Arthur Pendragon. What do you want to know about him?” The way she asked her question left Merlin feeling like he was in an interrogation. As if the next words out of his mouth would decide his fate and Morgana was the judge, jury, and executioner.

“I ran into him last night and in my last class. He seems to take some special interest in annoying the holy hell out of me. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one.” This reply seemed to appease her and she eyed him up and down for a moment before she gave him a more sincere smile. 

“Don’t worry. That’s just how Arthur interacts. Most people find it endearingly charming. Glad we finally have somebody at this school with a more refined taste. I was worried it was just going to be me and Gwen.” Gwen laughed at her friends conspiratorial tone.

“Well I can’t deny the fact that he’s ridiculously handsome.” She said a light blush tinting her cheeks.

“Gwen how dare you! I thought you were on my side.” Morgana said holding her hand to one cheek in mock horror.

“There are no sides when it comes to attractiveness, Morgana. Right Merlin?” Gwen asked turning to him. 

“He’s a nice looking bloke till he opens mouth.”  
Merlin said with a shrug. He didn’t include the part that every time Arthur opened his mouth he was annoyed and attracted. It was an odd feeling to say the least. Thankfully class soon began as the elderly science teacher rose from his spot at his desk and began to lecture. He took notes and listened attentively to what the teacher said not noticing the inquisitive looks Morgana sent every once in a while throughout the lesson.   
Their next period was lunch. Gwen and Morgana led him into the lunchroom and to a corner of the room where a large circular table was nestled. They were the first to arrive and Merlin quickly excused himself to the bathroom and left his bag with Gwen and Morgana. Tugging his phone out of his pocket he quickly pressed his Mothers contact and called her. 

“Merlin! It’s good to hear from you. How are you holding up?” The sound of his mother’s voice quickly calmed his nerves. 

“Yeah I’m doing well. I’ve already met a few cool people and I’m sitting with them at lunch.” 

“Oh that’s fantastic! What are their names?”

“Gwen and Morgana.” He answered simply studying his reflection in the bathroom mirror under the fluorescent lights.   
That’s amazing! Well I don’t want to keep you from enjoying your lunch. I’ll talk to you later dear. You are holding up right?” 

“Yeah Mum I’m doing pretty good. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” She said love you back and he quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket. Returning back to the lunch room he could see a few more people had joined Gwen and Morgana. He could see three boys and a girl.

“Guys this is Merlin,” Gwen introduced as he took his seat beside her and on his other side the other, “Merlin this is Elena, Gwaine, Percy, and Elyan my brother.”

“It’s good to see you again, mate.” Gwaine said, Merlin recognized him from the classroom earlier.

“I didn’t think you’d remember that you seemed pretty drunk.” The brown haired boy laughed.

“Where did you and a drunk Gwaine run into each other?” Elyan asked.

“Merlin was walking outside of the Princesses party last night and we ran into him.” Gwaine explained.

“Wow Gwaine you two managed to leave a bad impression on the new student before you even got to school.” Elyan said making the others laugh.

“Oi Leon was with us. He’s supposed to be our responsible adult stand in. He’s the one who really failed here.” He said mockingly indignant.

“Who failed what?” The familiar voice of Arthur said as he dropped into the open seat beside Percy.

“Leon is the reason you struck out so spectacularly last night.” Gwaine laughed as Arthur punched his shoulder.

“Morgs were going to Avalon this friday right?” Gwen asked noticing the way Merlins smile turned slightly uncomfortable.

“Yeah. Tristan is still saying we’ve got to get a few more actual gigs under our belt before he’ll let us play there. But we can still have fun scoping out the competition.” Morgana replied rolling her eyes in annoyance.

“Morgana, me, Gwen, and another one of our friends named Mithian are in a band together.” The blonde haired girl, Elena leaned toward him and explained. 

“We’ve been playing together since we were like fourteen.” Gwen said with a fond smile.

“But we still haven't managed to get any serious gigs.” Morgana said with a frustrated huff.

“Father has offered to help you guys get more exposure.” Arthur said simply as he ate which earned him an annoyed look from his sister.

“If we’re going to make it as musicians we should do it based on our own merit not because I have a rich Father willing to throw money at my problems.” She said simply. 

“The music business is a hard place to make it in. More exposure never hurt anybody.” Merlin said carefully. He could understand her urge to not be defined by her Father but if she really wanted her band to make it she couldn’t be too picky.

“It might be difficult but I want to make a name for myself without my Dad being behind it. Even if we don’t make it I’ll find another way to disappoint my Father.” Everybody at the table laughed at that and Merlin found himself respecting Morgana a bit more.

“So Merlin where are you from?” Percy asked after a silence had descended.

“I come from a little village in Wales called Ealdor.” 

“Why did you move here?” Eylan inquired.

“Mom wanted a change of scenery and the school in Ealdor wasn’t meeting my needs so we decided to come here.” Merlin explained.   
He could see Arthur studying his face, his blue eyes roving over him and Merlin wondered what he made of his story. When he met Arthur's eyes the blonde boy gave him a subtle wink but said nothing else. The bell rang sending them all wandering to their next classes.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of Merlin's mother humming in the kitchen greeted him when he walked through the door. Dropping his bag next to the door and pulling his shoes off he walked into the kitchen to see his mother cooking dinner. She gave him a warm smile and kissed his cheek as he sat himself on the kitchen counter.

“How was your first day?” She asked as he kicked his feet back and forth.

“It was fine, I mean it’s school you know?” Merlin said with a shrug.  
“Is it better though. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable.” She said softly turning to hold his cheeks in her hands, “After everything that happened, you deserve to be happy.” 

Merlin grunted noncommittally in reply as he hopped off the counter to head up stairs. Boxes still littered the house from their recent move and he navigated his way up the stairs toward his bedroom. The walls of the room were painted a pale blue and were completely bare, the hardwood floor was cold under his feet. His twin sized bed was pushed into the corner, his desk was pressed into the opposite wall, and a bookcase in another corner of the room. Merlin quickly removed his uniform and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. Taking a seat on the floor he dragged one of the boxes that was full of books to himself and set about placing them on the bookshelf. As he put away the chapter books and school books that he had collected over the years, near the bottom of the box he found a few journals he hadn’t seen in years.  
He pulled them out and began to flip through the pages, recognizing his own messy handwriting. The contents of the journals were exactly what he remembered, lyrics and songs that he had poured hours into writing. His fingers itched to reach under his bed to pull the guitar case that he had sequestered away from himself out to practice the forgotten melodies and lyrics he had found in the books. But the feeling of guilt crawled up his throat as he looked at one of the pages. Glued to the page was a photograph, in it he couldn’t have been older than twelve, surrounded by three other kids he would recognize anywhere. Freya, Will, Cenred, and him smiled like they didn’t have a care in the world, which looking back now they really didn’t. They were together which meant they were happy. Slamming the book closed, he was tempted to burn it. Rummage through his desk drawer and find an old lighter and set the past ablaze but he knew it wouldn’t fix the issue and probably only succeed in setting off the smoke alarm. Rubbing his face he put the journals on his desk and began unpacking some of the other boxes. Soon his mother was calling him for dinner. Their meal was full of idle chatter as they discussed his mother's first day of work. Hunith had been working as a veterinarian for about twenty years and she had quickly found a job at the local vet office. Soon they had finished their meal and began working on putting things away in the living room.  
After his mother went to bed and he found himself unable to fall asleep, he grabbed his coat off the hook and headed outside. The cool crisp air blowing through the trees and the sound of his shoes against the sidewalk were the only sounds that could be heard. He followed the same path he had the night before. Rapidly approaching foot falls from behind him, had him turning to see a figure heading toward him. For half a moment he thought about running before the street lights illuminated the figure and he recognized Arthur.

“Are you trying to scare the shit out of me?” Merlin asked as the other boy came to a stop beside him.

“Maybe.” Arthur said with a laugh as the two continued walking down the street together, “What are you doing walking around at night? People are going to start thinking you’re some sort of Peeping Tom.” 

“Sometimes I find it hard to sleep and walking helps me clear my mind.” Merlin explained simply.

“So why did you really move here?” The question almost stopped him in his tracks.

“What do you mean.” 

“Your not a very good liar. When Elyan was asking you about why you moved you looked like you had to think a lot about the answer.” He shrugged.

“Why do you want to know so badly?”  
“I find you interesting. I mean you don’t have to tell me if you really don’t want me to know, I guess I just want to find out more about you.”

“I was having a lot of issues in the place I was before and my Mom wanted me to be able to have some more stability. I wanted to focus on my education it had sort of taken a back seat to all the stuff that was going on in my life at the time. And I guess there’s just a lot of stuff I’m trying to distance myself from.” Arthur nodded as Merlin spoke.

“I didn't peg you as the tortured soul running from his past.”

“Oh and what did you peg me as.” He could feel the mood shift slightly as he waited for the blonde boys response.

“A giant nerd.” Arthur said tapping his glasses and laughing when Merlin let out an indignant huff and smacked his hand away. Merlin couldn’t help it though and soon joined in on the laughter. It felt freeing as well as oddly terrifying. As if he was giving a damning piece of himself that should never have seen the light of day again. But something about the way that Arthur had so easily accepted his vague answer, without feeling the need to pry further made him feel more comfortable. They continued their walk together for a bit longer trading joking insults and stupid jokes until Arthur checked the clock on his phone and found it later than he expected. 

“I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Arthur said giving him a bright smile and wave goodbye as he headed back towards his house.

Merlin crept back into his room, moon light filtering through the curtains and lamp on his desk still softly glowing. The journals lay beneath the light, he felt their beckoning call like a siren song. Turning resolutely he prepared for bed trying to give them no further thought.


	4. Chapter 4

By Thursday Merlin wanted to never see another classroom. He had forgotten how much he didn’t enjoy school. Trudging into the lunch room he dropped himself into the spot beside Gwen, laid his head on the table and groaned. Percival, Elyan, Morgana, Gwen, Gwaine and Elena were already seated. Arthur had yet to arrive as usual.

“Rough day?” Elena asked sympathetically.

“Geoffrey is the worst. He’s asking for a five page paper due Monday.” 

“Oh right we have to do that.” Gwaine said as he paused shoving food into his mouth.

“Yes Gwaine it is usually customary to do one's homework.” Merlin sighed as he lifted his head from the table.

“What would I do without you and Leon telling me when to do my history homework.?” He laughed.

“Fail.” Arthur said simply with a cocky grin as he took his empty spot beside Merlin. Before Gwiane could respond, Morgana and hushed him with a cool look.

“Merlin you’re coming with us to Avalon tomorrow night, right. Gwaine turned eighteen a few months ago so we’re able to drink.” Morgana explained eyeing him expectantly. Everybody was deep in their own conversations but he could see a few of them give him a smile. They all seemed happy at the prospect of him joining them.

“Uh, I don’t know if that’s really my scene i’m not much of a drinker.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, it just wasn’t the whole truth, he thought to himself.

“Well nobodies going to force you to drink but it would be a lot of fun if you came.” She said.  
Merlin was nervous about the idea of being in a bar. It had been quite a bit of time since he had drank and the idea of all that alcohol freaked him out a little bit. His eyes wandered toward Arthur   
for a moment who seemed to understand his internal struggle and gave him a small supportive smile.

“Don’t worry Mer-lin, me and Morgana can pick you up and get you back home to your mother in one peice.” Arthur said smacking one of his big hands on Merlins shoulders and giving it a comforting squeeze disguised as rough housing.

“Fine, I’ll come.” He shoved Arthur's hand away playfully making the blonde boy jab back at him, turning into a ridiculous slap fight. Morgana rolled her eyes at their antics, but watched fondly nonetheless.

“Ding Dong the witch is here.” Elyan said watching someone over their shoulders. A groan went up from the table and Merlin turned to see what had annoyed everybody. Unlike the rest Arthur seemed to be trying to sink into the floor his back sliding lower down his chair. Their attention seemed to be focused on a girl making her way toward their table. She had long blonde hair that was expertly styled into perfect curls. Her uniform unlike Gwen, Morgana, and Elena’s didn’t adhere to the dress code. The top few buttons were unbuttoned, her skirt was pulled up a little higher than strictly appropriate, and the sleeves of her blazer were rolled up to her elbows. 

“Arthur!” A large smile plastered on her pretty face revealed perfect teeth.

“Hello Vivian.” He said trying to go for a smile but falling more towards a grimace. She wedged herself between Arthur and Merlin, so close that she was nearly seated in Arthurs lap. 

“I’m sorry I missed your party last weekend. I know how much you must have missed me but Father had some stupid buisness thing in France that he wanted me to attend with him.” She explained only ever dropping her cheshire grin to pout.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure they’ll be another party at some point.” Arthur shrugged noncommittally whilst shooting Morgana beseeching looks over Vivians shoulder.

“Well to make up for it, maybe we could do something tomorrow night.” Vivian suggested, eyeing him hungrily. Merlin could see Morgana smiling sweetly at her brother who was shooting daggers at her. The rest of the table seemed to be divided between enjoyment at Arthurs predicament and disgust. Gwaine mimed vomiting making Elena smack his arm while Percy and Elyan snickered behind their hands. 

“Sorry, can’t do that were showing Merlin around town tomorrow.” Arthur said simply waving a hand toward Merlin. Vivian turned to him, looking him up and down before seemingly deciding that he wasn’t worth her time and turning back to Arthur. 

“I’m sure that we could get up to something much more interesting.” She said her voice dropping to whisper in his ear but not low enough for Merlin to not hear.  
Instead of replying Arthur simply shrugged his shoulders not deigning to reply. Finally it seemed that she took the hint. She huffed, rolled her eyes and walked off across the room. Everybody at the table eyed each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Mate how the hell do you stand her?” Gwaine asked wiping his eyes to clear his tears of laughter.

“I can’t.” Arthur said simply rubbing his temples with his eyes closed. 

“Oh please Arthur don’t act like she’s not just using you for a good lay just like you have,” Morgana said rolling her eyes and explaining to Merlin, “Uther and Vivian's Father think they’d make a fantastic pair. Easy way to solidify their business alliance in the most archaic way possible. Of course they’re both vain, blonde, and silly so maybe that’s not the only reason they think it’d be a good match.”

Gwen and Elena snickered as Arthur gave his sister a dirty look across the table. The bell rang, startling them from their conversations and had them scrambling to their next classes. Merlin spent the rest of the day nervous, wondering if he should just text Morgana and fake an illness. As he entered his bedroom he still found himself wrestling with his uncertainty. Before he could sike himself up to call Morgana and cancel, his phone began to ring. The caller ID telling him it was Arthur.

“Hello.” 

“Are you still freaked out about Friday night?” 

“Why hello to you to Arthur. Yes I am enjoying my night so far.” Merlin replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. 

“Answer the question Emrys.” Arthur said amused.

“I wouldn’t say I’m freaked out.”

“You looked like you wanted to vomit when Morgana asked.” 

“Okay maybe I wasn’t completely siked.” Merlin conceded. Arthur let out a very decisive snort when he heard that.

“Morgana wouldn’t be happy if you didn't come but she wouldn’t hold it against you or anything. If you want I could talk to her for you.” He offered. Merlin didn’t know how he had managed to get lucky enough to have a friend like Arthur but even the universe had to mess up sometimes, he thought to himself. 

“No, I’ll come and I want to spend time with everybody. It's just that I'm nervous I haven’t been in a place like that in a long time.” He sighed rubbing his eyes.

“So you’re worried you might get a little carried away with all that temptation.” 

“I don’t know, I don’t think I would. It’s just… knowing it’s there and knowing I could scares the hell out of me, you know?” Merlin wondered when Arthur would come to his senses and realize that this was too much effort and that he wasn’t worth all the trouble. 

“How about this I’ll stay with you and make sure you don’t do anything you’ll regret and when you want to go I’ll take you home no matter what.” 

“Yeah okay,” Merlin said sarcastically disbelief evident in his tone, “and what about when Morgana wants to stay longer?” 

“Elena, Mithian, Morgana, and Gwen have their Friday night sleepovers. It would be no trouble for Morgana to get a ride with Mithian and Gwen to Elena’s.” Arthur explained. Merlin was silent for a moment, as he thought. He hadn’t actually planned on not going but knowing that Arthur would be there to look out for him left a warm feeling in his chest.

“Yeah,” he said a little breathlessly, “sounds like a plan.”

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night Merlin.” Arthur said seemingly feeling the weight of the situation, his voice equally soft and breathless.

“Good night Arthur.” Merlin stared at the phone for a moment, a stupid grin spread over his face. During his phone call he had found himself seated at his desk, looking down he noticed his previously discarded journals. Opening one, he began to work.


End file.
